The field of the invention relates to recycling polymeric, oil-sorbent materials.
Industrial operations that generate waste oil sometimes use oil-sorbing media to remove or recover additional oils, such as oils that remain suspended in aqueous liquids after an oil-separation step. An example is Smart Sponge® oil-sorbing media from Abtech Industries, Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz. Eventually the oil-sorbing media becomes spent and is replaced with fresh media. Disposing of spent media is costly and presents multiple problems.
Transport of spent media is expensive, especially because many oil-generating operations may be situated in remote locations. Moreover, proper disposal in landfills must meet environmental guidelines for hazardous waste disposal. The media therefore may require further processing before disposal, adding to the time and expense of the overall operation. Placing spent media in landfills is not preferred because of environmental impact, even when satisfying applicable environmental guidelines. Therefore, there exists a need for an improved method of disposing of spent oil-sorbing media.